Hale has taught at Boston College since 1978, and worked as the department chair for eight years (1989–97).
[1] Hale has published essays on local government, American political thought, public administration, and the modern experience of citizenship.
He has co-edited two volumes of essays by French political scientist Bertrand de Jouvenel, and is completing a book on democracy and the jury system.
[10] He is a co-founder of Americans for Peace and Tolerance, along with Charles Jacobs and Islamic scholar Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Subhy Mansour.
[11] It states its purpose as "promote peaceful coexistence in an ethnically diverse America by educating the American public about the need for a moderate political leadership that supports tolerance and core American values in communities across the nation.